HÀ NỘI — The VN-Index opened the new month on a positive note, with a clear improvement in trading sentiment. Even as Vingroup-related stocks faced adjustment pressure, buyers quickly redirected their attention toward banks, securities and oil and gas, the main drivers behind the benchmark's rise.

The Hochiminh Stock Exchange (HoSE)'s benchmark index closed the session up 7.2 points, or 0.39 per cent, at 1,867.21. 

Market breadth was in the positive territory, as the number of gainers surpassed that of decliners. Liquidity, however, decreased from the previous session, down 11 per cent to VNĐ17.2 trillion (US$654 million). 

Meanwhile, the HNX-Index on the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) remained flat at 313.16 points.

Green dominated the trading board, led by the banking sector. Buyers continued to focus on bank shares, with several names recording strong gains. 

Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank (OCB) rose 3.64 per cent, HDBank (HDB) climbed 2.9 per cent, VPBank (VPB) increased 2.59 per cent, Techcombank (TCB) added 2.39 per cent and MBBank (MBB) gained 2.18 per cent.

Large-cap banks also moved up together, including BIDV (BID) up 1.53 per cent, Vietinbank (CTG) up 1.33 per cent and Vietcombank (VCB) up 1.29 per cent. 

The performances of securities stocks also improved as investors' mood turned more positive. Ho Chi Minh Securities (HCM) led the group higher with an increase of 3.31 per cent. It was followed by Vietcap (VCI), VNDirect Securities (VND), SSI Securities (SSI) and VIX Securities (VIX). They were up at least 1.2 per cent. 

Oil and gas shares were supported by the favourable movement of global oil prices. Petrovietnam Refining And Petrochemical Corporation (BSR) rose the most, up 5.38 per cent. Other gainers included PV Drilling (PVD) up 1.98 per cent, PetroVietnam Transportation Corporation (PVT), which added 1.76 per cent, Petrolimex (PLX), which rose 1.37 per cent, and PV Gas (GAS), which increased 0.78 per cent.

Beyond sector leaders, several large-cap names also posted positive price action, reinforcing the market's upward tone. FPT Corporation (FPT) jumped 3.85 per cent, Masan Consumer Corporation (MCH) rose 5 per cent, Mobile World Investment Corporation (MWG) increased 2.43 per cent, Vietnam Arilines (HVN) gained 2.13 per cent, FPT Digital Retail (FRT) advanced 1.75 per cent and Vietnam Rubber Group (GVR) rose 1.07 per cent.

A notable highlight of the session was the return of foreign investors after multiple cautious trading sessions. They net bought nearly VNĐ354.8 billion on HoSE. — BIZHUB/VNS